A fitness influencer has taken to Instagram to reveal the reason why our tummies might look bigger at night alongside a candid snap showing off her belly – and said bloating is not the same as weight gain
Our bodies fluctuate all the time, and it’s usually nothing to worry about.
Lots of things can impact how we look, and one woman is on a mission to educate her fans about how daily life impact our bodies. Liv, also known as Liv Livin Life to her 190,000 Instagram followers, is known for sharing fitness advice online, but she also works to promote body positivity.
She uses her platform to encourage other women to feel confident in their own skin by speaking openly about body image. In her latest post, she shared two side-by-side pictures to show how different her tummy can look within days.
Like a lot of people, Liv can experience bloating, which causes her tummy to look fuller. But, just days later, her belly looks lean again – and it’s all to do with food.
Liv explained women’s bodies fluctuate all the time, but their worth doesn’t, so there’s no need to panic if your stomach appears a bit bigger after big meals.
Writing on Instagram, Liv said: “Every time I got full or bloated I would feel IMMEDIATELY guilty, and think I had ‘gained weight’, BUT a few days after it always went back to normal, because my body was just full of food and your food has to go somewhere.
“And for some reason my silly little brain would keep thinking I should be looking the same as I did first thing at morning in the evening after a FULL day of eating?!
“Left photo: I had eaten out, had salty foods, enjoyed myself and yes I was full. Right photo: but fast track to a few mornings after and I was back to normal!
“The reason why I didn’t take a photo the next morning was because my body was still a little puffy from salty foods, but I repeat this does not mean weight gain !! I always say after holidays/eating out it isn’t always an overnight process for the bloat to go but can just be an extra day or two.
“Your body’s worth does NOT change just because it has some food in it, and so we shouldn’t see it any differently. I used to struggle to accept that I couldn’t always have a perfectly flat stomach and definition the whole time.
“When in reality, your worth is so not dependent on that, and if you spend you’re life striving for that the whole time, you will never be satisfied.”
The post had received more than 6,600 likes at the time of writing, and people were quick to thank her for opening up about her body so candidly. One person said: “These posts actually help so so much. Highly appreciated.” Another wrote: “Love these REAL posts!! It’s the kind of stuff we NEED TO SEE!! Keep them coming!”
A third replied: “This is such a powerful concept! Bodies are meant to change, but your self-worth isn’t supposed to. And it can stay the same once you learn self-compassion and body neutrality.”
Meanwhile, fourth commented: “Love this. Love you.”